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Browse Tips

FileMaker Tips

Browse Tips

Copying Record data: You can copy and paste the
contents of an entire record by choosing Copy (Mac:
command-C or PC: ctrl-C) with the record selected. When you
paste what you've copied into another program, you get a
tab-delimited text containing all of the data displayed
in the current layout for that particular record.

You can also copy data from more records, not just the
one you're viewing. Hold down the option key (Mac) or Shift
key (PC) while choosing Copy (or press command-option-C
(Mac) or ctrl-shift-C (PC)). This copies the data from all
the currently found records. If you paste what you've copied
into a word processor you get tab-delimited text. And if you
paste the copied data into Excel, the data instantly
transforms into a spreadsheet.

Calculation Tip

Get the last occurence:The function Position(text,
search string, start, occurrence) scans the supplied text
for the nth occurrence of a search string, starting where
you indicate with start.Here's the neat bit: a negative
occurrence value causes the scan to go in the opposite
direction. The following gives the position of the LAST
occurrance of string in text:

position(text, string, length(text), -1)

This can be safely optimised as:

position(text, string, 64000, -1)

Monitor a field modification date:Here's a way to
automatically store the last modification date of a field:
create a stored, Do Not Evaluate If... Unchecked, calculated
field with the formula:

If(fieldName, Status(CurrentDate) ,
Status(CurrentDate))

Whenever the field's value is changed, the date in the
calculated field will change. You can then search for
records whose site field has been modified during the
current month or other time period. (Thanks to Jon
Rosen)

Layout Tips

Creating items with the same settings: When you
are defining fields on a layout you can use the following
shortcut to duplicate an object: Drag the object with the
option key pressed. This will create objects with exactly
the same settings, like Font, Size but also Field Formatting
options.

Selecting similar objects: Select an object first,
say a field, then press Command-Option-A. This will select
all similar objects on the layout!

Make all layouts hidden or visible in one action:
When you want to hide a set of layouts from the user it is
not necessary to do that one layout at the time:

In layout mode go to the "Set Layout Order" menu. Now
click on the V-symbol to the left of the name of the first
layout that needs to be hidden, and drag the mouse to
the last layout you want to hide. All the √ marks will be
removed. The reverse is also possible: click on the same
place (to the left of the layout name) and drag the mouse
and all layouts will be visible.

Here's a tip for graphically enhancing your
layouts: On a Mac, you can copy the repeating patterns
from the desktop patterns control panel (desktop pictures on
OS8), and paste it onto your Filemaker layout. Resize the
image to fill your screen, and you have a cool background
pattern for your layout, that has a minimal impact on
filesize. I make a lot of solutions whose files get Emailed
between locations, filesize may not be so relevant for
someone who sets their files up in one location. Even so,
it's more appealing than a solid background, and less
distracting than an image. Contributed by Jim Main,
jmain@NOSPAM.marmotmountain.com

And for a variant on this: In AppleWorks 5 you can
copy any of the 3D textures (create a draw rectangle with
lines set to transparent) into a layout for a lovely 3D
background that takes around 10K. They all tile excellently
- the brushed metal is my favourite. Does not seem to work
in Windows too well, but for mac users they are the best.
Contributed by Steve stevesil@one.net.au

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